Plant-support.



W. F. MAAS.

PLANT SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY23. 1914 Patented July 20, 1915.

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WILLIAM F. MAAS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO PETER IGOE, JR.-, 013BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PLANT-SUP1 0RT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1915.

7 Application filed May 23, 1914. Serial No. 840,447.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. MAAS, a

citizen of the United. States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in thecounty of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Plant- Supports, of which the following is afull,

clear, and exact description, whereby any- 'may be very readily set upand adjusted into position for use to support growths of any sort.

The object of the invention is to provide a very simple, light but firmsupport for plants and the like and one which may be placed in positioneither fully assembled or by assembling the various parts to a greateror less extent to cover the requirements for which the support isdesigned.

A further object is to provide a knock down plant support and one whichmay be readily assembled with features of adjustability and expansionhereinafter more particularly set forth.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view illustrativeof the manner of arranging the plant support. Fig. 2 is anend Viewshowing one formof standards to which the supports are secured. Flg. 31s a detail view illustrating the manner of .ap-

plying the longitudinal supporting bars and the adjustable encirclingmembers.

It is a common practice to support plants during their growthupon-trellises ofvarious sorts and upon sticks or rods which are pushedinto the earth adjacent to the plant roots and to which the plants aretied by loops of tape, twine, wire or other material. Such devices arenot only crude but a great amount of time must be occupied in caring forthe growing plants to insure their being properly supported upon therods or trellises. Great care must also be taken not to bind the growingplant too firmly as there is liability of scarring the bark and injuringthe plant and retarding its growth.

The present invention contemplates a device Which may be manufactured asa completed article or may be manufactured and shipped in a knock-downform tobe subsequently fitted together. It involves the use ofsubstantially parallel retaining members and detachable ring members.The longitudinal members form a direct support for maintaining the ringsin position and yet permit a wide latitude of adjustment in the rings.The rings, when interlocked one with another, form a very substantial,stable rack which may be arranged in parallel planes or sections andwill provide practically a continuous vertical support for the growingplant.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, a frame having risers l and cross-bars 2, 3,4- is suitably placed at one end of a growing bed 5 and at intervalsalong said bed are similar risers 7, 8 with cross-bars 10, 11, 12, 13, 11, 15. Secured to the cross-bars are longitudinally extending rods orwires 16 which are arranged substantially parallel with each other inhorizontal relation and substantially in the same plane with rods orwires of the cooperating cross-bars considered in a vertical plane.Between the adjacent rods or Wires are loops or rings 17 which asillustrated in Fig. 3 are preferably spring-rings having hooks 18, 19 attheir adjacent meeting edges by which they may be hooked togetherforming a complete ring. These rings are threaded over the adjacenthorizontal wires in such manner-that one wire as 20 extends over thering as at 21 and under the ring as at 22. The next succeeding parallelwire 23'passes under the ring as at 24- and over the ring as at 25.This, obviously, will prevent tilting of the ring althoughpermitting itto be slid longitudi nally along the wires or rods 20, 23.

It is seldom that. a single pair of wires and cooperating rings is usedas ordinarily as to position. In practice, several of these screens arearranged one above the other. The advantages of the feature ofadjustability are therefore at once apparent. When the plant is small,it is passed through the rings of the first screen structure. As itgrows, a second screen may be formed above it and its rings may bebrought into vertical registration with the rings of the lower tier. Asthere is still further growth and requirement-for support, a third,fourth and as many screens with rings having variable positions as maybe desired are used.

It is apparent from the above that the structure is eXpansible for thepurposes of supporting the plant as it grows and being entirelysupported from different points, there is no liability of sticks or rodsinjuring the root formations and impairing the life and growth of theplant.

In Fig. 2,. there is illustrated in end view a frame having risers 18provided at intervals with books 20 to which the longitudinal wires 21may be secured. Laced upon these wires are the rings 17.

It is of course apparent that any form of support may be employed inconjunction with the parallel or longitudinal wires so long as they areproperly spaced to permit interlacing of the rings one with the otherand with the wires.

The exact formof rings and the size and dimensions thereof as well asthe form of the devices for supporting the longitudinal wires may bemodified and varied without departing from the spirit or intent of theinvention and it is obvious that in place of the spring rings havinginterlocking ends, solid rings might be employed where the device iscompletely assembled in web or screen form. There is greater conveniencehowever in using the spring rings as they may be applied to thelongitudinal members and may be adjusted as desired.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A plant support comprising a series of longitudinally extendingsupporting rods, rings interlaced thereon and interlaced with each otherand adjustable along said rods,

' having interengaging meeting ends interlaced upon sa-idrods, theadjacent rodspassing through the loops and from'theloops on oppositesides to maintain said loops in horizontal position though permittinglongitudinal adjustment. t

3. A plant support comprising supporting means, a plurality oflongitudinalsupporting -1'ods,'sprin'g loops having interengaging endsinterlaced with each other transversely of the rods, the. alternaterodspassing through the loops-fromv opposite sides whereby the interlacedloops are adjustable longitudinally of the rods though held inhorizontal position.

4-. A plant support comprising supporting means, longitudinal memberssupported thereby, loopsof ring form interlaced upon said longitudinalrods, the adjacent rods passing through the loops and from the loops onopposite sides to 'maintain said loops in horizontal position thoughpermitting longitudinal adjustment.

A plant support comprising supporting means, a plurality of longitudinalsupporting rods, loops interlaced with each other transversely of therods, the alternate rods passing through the loops from opposite sideswhereby the interlaced loops are adjustable longitudinally of the rodsthough held in the plane of the adjacent rods which pass through theloops.

WILLIAM F. MAAS.

Witnesses MAY CLAYTON, Pn'rnn' WEBER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 013 Patents, Washington, D; C.

